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Is Beijing's dialect dying?Posted by Mauro Marescialli, August 24, 2005 10:39 AM
![]() "Waa! I can't speak Beijinghua!" On August 12, the Legal Mirror published an article reporting the introduction of Shanghai dialect expressions into a new Chinese grammar book. The news started a reaction among righteous Beijingers, who stormed the newspaper with telephone calls saying that Beijing's dialect expressions deserve the same treatment. Following this sudden stir, Legal Mirror invited a panel of scholars from the Beijing Association of Local Customs and the Beijing Normal University to conduct a survey among pupils from a selection of elementary and middle schools in Beijing, to check their level of knowledge of Beijing hua (Beijing dialect). The panel prepared a list of famous Beijing expressions and conducted telephone interviews with the kids. 老家儿 (lao3 jia1 er) Correct meaning: Parents Wrong answers from kids included: 'people with power', 'older people', 'people who pull strings to control other people', 'egoistic people', 'gamblers who cheat' etc. 颠儿了 (dian1 er le) Correct meaning: Let's go, let's leave Wrong answers from kids included: 'fucked up', 'a happy behavior', 'be carried away', 'be missing', 'a muscular strain' etc. 死轴子 (si3 zhou2 zi3) Correct meaning: Stubborness Wrong answers from kids included: 'dumb', 'staring blankly', 'car axle', 'old person', 'stiff' etc. 半吊子 (ban4 diao4 zi3) Correct meaning: Unreliable person Wrong answers from kids included: 'idiot', 'give up half way', 'frightened', 'a hanged ghost', 'illiterate', etc. 草鸡 (cao3 ji1) Correct meaning: Shy, not daring (a person with 'no balls') Wrong answers from kids included: 'stupid', 'idiot', 'bastard', 'fool', 'a nice person', 'pigface', 'dumb', etc. 花花哨 (hua1 hua1 shao4) Correct meaning: A crafty cheater Wrong answers from kids included: 'a person who cheats by putting on a costume', 'beautiful', 'colorful', 'fashionable', etc. 二把刀 (er4 ba3 dao1) Correct meaning: A person with limited skills Wrong answers from kids included: 'idiot', 'distracted', 'careless', etc. 坏了醋了 (huai4 le cu4 le) Correct meaning: To make a mess Wrong answers from kids included: 'bad mood', 'very sweet (taste)', 'trouble', 'not edible', etc. 仨瓜俩枣 (sa1 gua1 lia1 zao3) Correct meaning: A worthless object Wrong answers from kids included: 'a light object', 'a few things', 'give a tip', 'very few', 'yummy', 'very yummy', etc. Alas, most of the answers given by the kids were wrong! Links and Sources
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shaaaaaa!!!